A significant proportion of software code of a typical executable application is devoted to moving data from one place to another, to managing data relationships or to preventing access to data by unauthorized users. In a multi-tiered application partitioned into multiple operating layers, the more layers used, the more data it is necessary to transport and convert between layers, for example. Such physical data transportation involves determining how data types in one layer map to data types in another layer and requires executable code to be provided to perform the conversion (e.g., from C language format, to Java language format, to COM data type etc). Specifically, code is required to map each data item (object property) between different operating layers and to manage the data relationships involved.
The data relationships involved are typically maintained in one or more tables in relational databases holding object properties. A table may hold object properties such as object type or class, for example. Data relationships are created and managed by employing code to create composite objects (objects, which contain, or refer to other objects) by collating tables or properties within tables. Thereby a data relationship, comprising a reference of one object to another object, is created by incorporating composite objects in one or more related tables, for example.
The transport of data including composite objects between different applications in different system presents a problem. Specifically, when data including a composite object is transported between applications in different systems, it is necessary that the original relationships associated with the composite object are determined and conveyed. Similarly, when data is received by an application in one system from a different application in another system, it is necessary that the receiving application be able to identify new objects and relationships created by the sending application. In addition, it is also desirable in a system for conveying data including composite objects to incorporate a method for amending or deleting data relationships and for preventing unauthorized users from accessing secure data. A communication data format and related communication system according to invention principles addresses these requirements and associated problems.